


I Want You to Know

by NoblestRomanOfThemAll (AnxiouslyGoing)



Series: Before They Were Found [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Autistic Logic | Logan Sanders, Brotherly Fluff, Dyslexic Patton, Human Sides (Sanders Sides), Kid Fic, Kid Logic | Logan Sanders, Kid Morality | Patton Sanders, Logan is a good big brother, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Neither are diagnosed at this point in the story but they will be later so it counts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:22:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29709507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiouslyGoing/pseuds/NoblestRomanOfThemAll
Summary: Logan and Patton get to spend the day in their favorite way: visiting the library and hanging out with Mama.
Series: Before They Were Found [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892722
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	I Want You to Know

**Author's Note:**

> In this short glimpse into the boys's past Logan is six and Patton is five.

“Okay, mama’s gonna use the computer for a little while. You boys stay here and find some books to look at, alright?” Genevieve ruffled her littlest’s mousey hair as she spoke. “I’ll be right here if you need me, okay?” 

“Can we take books home today?” he questioned enthusiastically. Not that he ever seemed to do anything any other way. 

“Did you already give the other books back?” 

“Uh-huh. Lo helped ‘cause I couldn’ reach.” 

“Then I think we can borrow a few more today,” Gen agreed. 

“Woo-hoo!” 

“Hey, voice down, mister!” his mother chided with a laugh. 

The tot quickly covered his mouth. “Oops. Sorry,” he said sheepishly. 

“It’s alright, Patton. I know you get excited, but remember in the library we have to have quiet excited,” she whispered the last part. 

“Okay!” Patton loudly stage whispered back. “C’mon, Lo!” he snatched his brother’s hand and dragged him toward the nearest shelf. “I wan’ a book that shows me how to read better!” he announced, searching over the spines of the books. 

“Any book can do that,” Logan answered, keeping an attentive eye on their mother. Whatever work she was doing it must have been confusing. “You just need practice.”

“But I don’t ‘emember the words my teacher gave us,” he moaned. 

Logan blinked. “You mean ‘remember’?” 

“See! Words are hard, Lo. I need a book that teaches them me so I ‘emember.”

“Last year my teacher taught us to sound words out.” Logan plucked a book of sight words from the shelf and opened it.

“Lo,” Patton moaned, “That’s a  _ baby _ book.” 

“Don’t be silly, babies can’t read. Besides, this is a good one. There’s a unicorn in it. I remember from kindergarten.” 

\----

“Did you boys find some books you want to rent?” Gen asked as she joined her sons on the floor. “Patton, what’s wrong?” she asked in alarm, seeing the forlorn look on the smaller boy’s face. 

“I can’t learned to read yet,” he sniffled and slumped against his mother’s shoulder. 

“Well, baby, you’re only in kindergarten. You’ve still got a lot of time.” 

“But I don’t even know how to ‘emember my letters!” 

“What do you mean?” she frowned. 

Logan held up the book they had been looking at. “I tried to teach him how to sound out words like my teacher showed me, but it’s not working.”    
“I won’t ever learned to read!” He flung himself dramatically across the beanbag, 

“Whoa now, mister, those are fighting words. Nobody’s allowed to talk about  _ my _ son that way.” Gen scoop up the floppy tot and plopped onto the bean bag, holding him in her lap. “Right up here,” she rubbed his head, “is your brain. And you only get one, so you have to take care of it. That means being nice to it, even if it feels like it’s not being nice to you. Right now your brain is growing lots, just like your body. But sometimes, things go a little funny. Sometimes, we’re born a different way,” Gen stroked Logan’s hair and pulled him a little closer, “or sometimes, things go funny while we’re still getting bigger. Sometimes it’s hard when things go funny, but it’s not always a bad thing. When I was getting bigger, a little bigger than Logan is now, I found out that there was something funny in my brain.”

“What was it?” Logan asked, quizzically. 

“It’s kind of a big word, it’s dyslexia,” Gen carefully enunciated each syllable, smiling a little as Logan nodded and said the word quietly to himself. “Dyslexia is a scary sounding word, but it just means that I can’t read very fast and sometimes I need a little help.” 

“Is that why I can’t know how to read yet?” Patton mumbled. 

“It might be. We can talk to your teacher and he can help us figure it out. For now, why don’t you pick out a couple of books and we can go home and find a snack.” 

“But how come Logan can learned to read?” 

“Well, sweetie, not everybody goes funny the same way. But it’s always good to know that it’s okay to go a little funny so if you noticed something is different you know it’s always okay to ask for help.” 

Patton nodded glumly and picked up the book of sight words Logan had picked out. He held it to his chest. "I guess this book." 

"I found this one." Logan offered a book to his little brother. "It's a cookbook, but there's lotsa pictures." 

Patton's face lit up and he gasped in delight. He gleefully snatched the book away and held it up for Genevieve to see. Their mother laughed as she had dodge being hit by the book. "Can we get  _ this one _ ?" 

"Of course, baby," she laughed. "Which book would you like to borrow, Logan?" 

Logan bit his lip and picked up another book of sight words, this one a little thicker than the one Patton had left on the floor. "This one," he answered and hugged it to his chest. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Mhm. This one is good." 

Gen sighed inwardly then plopped a giggling Patton back into the beanbag and came to her feet. "Okay, my turn," she announced. She made a grand show of searching the shelves, humming thoughtfully as she ran a finger over the spines of the books. "Aha!" She plucked a book from the shelf and offered it to the boys. "What do you think?" 

Patton tilted his head in confusion. "What is it?" 

"It's a collection book," his mother explained. "There are a lot of different stories in it. What do you think?" 

Logan nodded. "I like that one." 

"Wonderful!" Genevieve exclaimed. "Then we shall go home, make a snack from Patton's cookbook, and have new bedtime stories tonight!" 

\---

“That was a very grown-up thing you did today,” Genevieve said as she sat next to Logan on the bed. Patton was already huddled under the blankets sound asleep. “Picking a book out for Patton like you did.” 

“I wanted to help,” Logan answered.

Gen wrapped an arm around him, tugging him closer, and stroked his head. “I know you did. And I’m proud of you for that, but it’s important for you to pick things you like too.” 

“I like when Patton’s happy,” Logan tried reasoning. 

“And that’s a good thing, but what  _ else  _ makes you happy?” 

“When we do cooking together. And reading time at school. But not math. I don’t like that one,” Logan answered seriously. 

Gen stifled a chuckle. “Okay, what else?”

Logan frowned. "Promise you won't laugh?" 

Gen held up a finger. "Pinky promise." 

Logan latched his pinky around her with a small smile. "I like unicorns." 

"Unicorns are pretty cool, aren't they?"

"I wish they were real. And not pink all the time." 

"What color would you make them?" 

"Indigo," the tot replied without hesitation. 

"Indigo, huh?"

"Uh-huh. It's almost the last color of the rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue,  _ indigo _ , and violet. I like it but people forget about it lots. And they use pink. But there's no pink in rainbows. Girls are weird." 

Genevieve grinned and planted a kiss on her son's dark hair. "Everyone's a little bit weird, baby, we're just weird in different ways." 

" _ You're  _ not weird," Logan announced. 

"Don't be silly. Grown-ups are _ especially  _ weird. Did you know that adults play pretend all the time?" 

The boy's brow furrowed. "That doesn't sound real. My teacher makes us  _ stop  _ playing pretend so we can learn." 

"Oh, it's real! But lots of grown-ups just pretend it's not. See, grown-ups  _ pretend _ to always know what's happening and lots of times we don't ask for help so everyone will think we're being a good grown-up. And that is a very weird and silly thing to do because everyone needs help sometimes. And sometimes… a lotta times we don't know what's going to happen. And that can be scary so we  _ pretend _ like we know. But the  _ truth _ is that it's okay to not always know what's going to happen. We just...have to find out what's happening and keep on going as best we can." 

"Like reading a book?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, when you read you don't know the story and even when you don't guess what happens next right you still gotta keep reading to find out." 

Gen blinked in surprise. "You're a very thoughtful little kid, you know that?" 

Logan nodded. "I'm good at guessing stories. Ms. Bekah doesn't let me guess first anymore. She says I'm a spoiler." 

"Well, you're  _ my _ spoiler and I'm very proud of you." 

"You say that lots," Logan noted. 

"I mean it lots," Gen answered. "It's important to tell people the stuff that you mean and really want them to know. And I want you and Patton to know that I love you so very very much and that I am very proud of you." 

“I love you lots too.” Logan craned his neck and quickly kissed his mother’s cheek. Genevieve returned the gesture.

“Time for bed now, pumpkin. Sleep well, Logan.” Gen ruffled his hair as she stood and crossed the room.

“You too, Mama.” Logan answered as the lights went. He snuggled close to his little brother and gently kissed his head. “Night, Patton.” 


End file.
